peters



UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

JOHN B. HOLMES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOHN R. PRATT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHIPS STEERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,773, dated March 3, 1857.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JOHN B. HOLMES, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Steering Apparatus; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Figure I represents a plan and Fig. II an elevation of the apparatus.

On the rudder head A the tiller B is firmly fastened, having a bracket C attached on its eXtreme end through the bolt a. This bracket C forms bearings for the small shaft D, having on its upper end a beve-l wheel N, and on its lower end a pinion P attached, the latter working into a stationary curved rack R, fastened to the deck of the vessel. The bevel wheel N is worked by the bevel pinion l fast on the end of a shaft S, having at its other end the steering wheel W attached. To prevent the weather or water from damaging the bevel gearing or pinion, the whole of the gearing is inclosed in a casing E which forms likewise the support of the end of the shaft S. Instead of attaching the bracket C to the end of the tiller B, said bracket may be attached by means of a bolt to this casing E. On the lower side of the tiller B a lever L is attached, forked so as to project on both sides of the rudderhead A, so as to be capable to be operated on either side. This lever L is connected through the rod F wit-h the lower end of the bracket C by which arrangement and on account of the manner of attachment of the bracket C to the end of the tiller or casing a slight motion around its center may be communicated to said bracket. H is a friction pulley attached to the end of the t-iller B opposite to the lpinion P and bearing against the tiller and against the curved guide Gr firmly attached to the deck of the vessel.

By rotating the steering wheel W the bevel gearing N, N is set in motion as well as the pinion P, which latter working into the stationary curved rack R will produce a rotative movement of the rudder head A. By pressing with the foot upon either end of the lever L the bracket C will be moved, so as to force further into gearing the pinion P with the rack R and likewise the bevel wheel N with the pinion N producing thereby a friction by which the rudder will be kept perfectly steady and locked in any required position, and any backlash to the steering wheel IV is prevented. The friction roller H being attached to the tiller B in the manner described, will be always exactly opposite the point of Contact of the pinion P with the rack R, and prevent the rudder from being forced out of its proper position by the action of the lever L forcing` the pinion into the rack to produce the necessary friction. Instead of forcing the pinion into the stationary rack in the manner and for the purpose above described, the lever L may be so arranged as to act directly against the stationary rack R or against the deck of the vessel to produce a friction suficient to hold the rudder in any desired position.

Several arrangements have been contrived to work the rudder by means of rack and pinion together with gearing to increase the power of working the same and a patent has been granted to me several years ago, but the principal objections to all these arrangementsare that by the act-ion of the water against the rudder it is very diiiicult and requires great power to keep the rudder in the desired position besides a continual noise and clattering being produced by the gearing. By other arrangements of working the rudder by means of blocks and ropes or chains a considerable friction is produced which has to be overcome besides the great inconvenience of the back lash.

In my present arrangement the center of motion is always in the center line of the rudder diminishing considerably the friction and by the application o-f the friction brake I am enabled to make the motion of the rudder more or less sensitive according to circumstances, as well as to lock the rudder firmly in any position desired, and preventing at the same time all clattering in the gearing. The whole machinery being attached to the tiller except the stationary rack R and guide G allows the rudder together with all the mechanism to raise up ward when the rudder is struck by a heavy sea in that direction.

I do not claim the manner of moving the rudder by means of a rack and pinion operated by gearing, but

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent isl. The arrangement of a pinion on the end of the tiller working into a stationary curved rack, attached to the deck of the l a stationary rack by the action of said lever Vessel in connection With a friction roller Working against a smooth stationary surface to prevent the rudder from being 5 pressed out of its place in the manner substantially as described.

2. I claim the arrangement of attaching the pinion to the end of the tiller in connection With a lever in such a manner as l0 to be able to move said pinion farther into for the purpose of producing a friction sufricient to hold the rudder thereby in any desired posit-ion, and att-he same time to lock the gearing` to prevent any backlash on the steering Wheel.

JOI-IN B. HOLMES. vVitnessesz HENRY E. ROEDER, E. PENRIDGE. 

